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IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Thomas M.
Stuchlik
October 18, 1941 – March 23, 2018
Obituary
Thomas M. "Tom" Stuchlik was born on October 18, 1941, in Beatrice, Nebraska to Cyril M. "Andy" and Nelda M. (Meyer) Stuchlik and passed away on March 23, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri at the age of 76.
Tom played in the Alton High School band, had an interest in coin collecting, and was an avid reader. He was knowledgeable about many subjects, from religions to history to music, and could talk to anyone about nearly any topic. Tom earned his Bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville. After graduating, he did accounting for several different companies and completed an MBA from SIUE in the evenings. Shortly after that, he was employed by St. Louis Public Schools. He worked there for 31 years until retiring in 2008. Of course Tom didn't really retire, he found a passion working with the developmentally disabled at St. Louis Arc. He also was constantly on the lookout for business pursuits and investment opportunities, including purchasing rental properties in and around St. Louis.
Tom was the first to greet you with a hug and a "It's great to see you," every time you saw him. His gregarious nature and positivity made him a minor celebrity at his brother's nursing home. If you needed a pep talk, he would find the right words to motivate and inspire you. It was often taken for granted that you would receive a dozen compliments in the course of a short conversation.
His generosity and a commitment to helping others were guiding tenets of his life. He was quick to volunteer his time: doing taxes for multiple families, coordinating the Archdiocesan Development Appeal for many years at his parish, and coaching sports teams for all of his children. He didn't think about giving to those in need. He just did. There were moments in which this caused him some inconveniences, but that didn't dampen his commitment to continue helping and giving.
Tom had a very competitive spirit. From Monopoly to sports, he played to win, no matter the age of his competitor. Many family members learned lessons in humility from playing games with Tom. He loved to teach all games and sports, especially to his children. They learned to be both good winners and losers from those moments. It is also some of the most fondly remembered times they spent together. Tom played on several softball teams, sometimes during the same season, diving and hustling to make plays up until a few years ago. He loved to play tennis and was successful in many tournaments, playing both singles and doubles. He would run you all across the court, but still tell you that you played well, even when you could hardly win a point against him. Even last summer, Tom was willing to learn a game that was new to him, pickleball. This embodies his positive attitude when asked to do just about anything. Those who knew Tom would agree that he found great joy in playing games and being active.
Not only did he enjoy playing sports, he also loved watching them. A lifelong Cardinals fan, he enjoyed the recent teams and their successes, but his favorite player was Stan the Man Musial. He enjoyed pro and college football in the fall. Tom could discuss the merits of quarterbacks to boxers. Tom enjoyed boxing so much he would watch it in Spanish. He could tell you the best light-heavyweight boxer from the mid-1970s or which quarterback of today ran the most efficient offense. He shared watching sports with his family and friends.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents Cyril "Andy" and Nelda Stuchlik and brother Terrence "Terry" Stuchlik.
Survivors include wife Kathleen "Kathy" Stuchlik; children Eric, Laurie (Brennan Williams), and Patrick "Pat" Stuchlik; granddaughter Colette Stuchlik-Williams; an aunt, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, two nieces, many cousins and friends.
Tom played in the Alton High School band, had an interest in coin collecting, and was an avid reader. He was knowledgeable about many subjects, from religions to history to music, and could talk to anyone about nearly any topic. Tom earned his Bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville. After graduating, he did accounting for several different companies and completed an MBA from SIUE in the evenings. Shortly after that, he was employed by St. Louis Public Schools. He worked there for 31 years until retiring in 2008. Of course Tom didn't really retire, he found a passion working with the developmentally disabled at St. Louis Arc. He also was constantly on the lookout for business pursuits and investment opportunities, including purchasing rental properties in and around St. Louis.
Tom was the first to greet you with a hug and a "It's great to see you," every time you saw him. His gregarious nature and positivity made him a minor celebrity at his brother's nursing home. If you needed a pep talk, he would find the right words to motivate and inspire you. It was often taken for granted that you would receive a dozen compliments in the course of a short conversation.
His generosity and a commitment to helping others were guiding tenets of his life. He was quick to volunteer his time: doing taxes for multiple families, coordinating the Archdiocesan Development Appeal for many years at his parish, and coaching sports teams for all of his children. He didn't think about giving to those in need. He just did. There were moments in which this caused him some inconveniences, but that didn't dampen his commitment to continue helping and giving.
Tom had a very competitive spirit. From Monopoly to sports, he played to win, no matter the age of his competitor. Many family members learned lessons in humility from playing games with Tom. He loved to teach all games and sports, especially to his children. They learned to be both good winners and losers from those moments. It is also some of the most fondly remembered times they spent together. Tom played on several softball teams, sometimes during the same season, diving and hustling to make plays up until a few years ago. He loved to play tennis and was successful in many tournaments, playing both singles and doubles. He would run you all across the court, but still tell you that you played well, even when you could hardly win a point against him. Even last summer, Tom was willing to learn a game that was new to him, pickleball. This embodies his positive attitude when asked to do just about anything. Those who knew Tom would agree that he found great joy in playing games and being active.
Not only did he enjoy playing sports, he also loved watching them. A lifelong Cardinals fan, he enjoyed the recent teams and their successes, but his favorite player was Stan the Man Musial. He enjoyed pro and college football in the fall. Tom could discuss the merits of quarterbacks to boxers. Tom enjoyed boxing so much he would watch it in Spanish. He could tell you the best light-heavyweight boxer from the mid-1970s or which quarterback of today ran the most efficient offense. He shared watching sports with his family and friends.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents Cyril "Andy" and Nelda Stuchlik and brother Terrence "Terry" Stuchlik.
Survivors include wife Kathleen "Kathy" Stuchlik; children Eric, Laurie (Brennan Williams), and Patrick "Pat" Stuchlik; granddaughter Colette Stuchlik-Williams; an aunt, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, two nieces, many cousins and friends.
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